US Under-Secretary of State for Political Affairs Starts Visit to Rabat

Under-Secretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale has started a visit to Morocco this Monday, for talks with Moroccan officials on the development of the Morocco-USA partnership, as well as on regional issues, given the key role played by Morocco in the region in terms of peace and security, and other questions of common interest.

David Hale discussed in this connection with Foreign minister Nasser Bourita means to further reinforce the strategic dialogue between the two allied countries, in addition to regional issues of shared interest, said a statement by the ministry of foreign affairs.

The Sahara issue will undoubtedly be at the center of talks of the US Under-Secretary of State with Moroccan officials, as David Hale’s trip to Morocco coincides with the ongoing debates on the Sahara issue at the level of the UN Security Council, with a briefing on MINURSO on April 1, followed the next day by the presentation of the new report of the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

The report will be debated on April 9 & 10 by the fifteen member countries of the Security Council, while a vote on a new resolution on the Sahara that is expected to renew the MINURSO mandate for another six months, is scheduled for April 29.

The process of quadripartite talks (between Morocco, Algeria, Polisario and Mauritania), initiated last December in Geneva, under the auspices of the UN Personal Envoy for the Sahara, Horst Köhler, will also be one of the main topics of the resolution.